Nurse who contracted Ebola caring for patient sues hospital chain

In a previous post we wrote about the legal settlement reached by the family of the Liberian national who, despite receiving treatment sadly died from Ebola. While the mania surrounding Ebola in the United States has waned for most, for those who actually contracted and survived the infection their experience is still likely very fresh. It was recently announced that one of those individuals—a nurse who treated the first victim of the infection in the U.S.—filed a lawsuit against the parent company of the hospital where she worked.

The woman, who was diagnosed with the disease following the death of that patient, indicated that she hopes to make big corporations and hospitals aware of how important frontline health care workers and nurses are in the treatment of patients. To that end she is seeking an unspecified amount of damages for the following:

Loss of future earnings

Medical expenses

Mental anguish

Physical pain

Though it has been months since she was declared to be free of Ebola, she has not yet returned to work. This is because either as a result of the experimental drugs she took to combat the illness or the illness itself, she still suffers from body aches and fatigue.

In her lawsuit suit the woman alleges that her privacy was violated when the hospital chain shared her medical records. In addition, she claims that health care workers were not provided proper training or equipment regarding treating others with Ebola.

Though it is unclear how this case will ultimately be resolved, it is possible it could be settled before reaching trial. A spokesman for the hospital chain indicated that it wishes the nurse the best and supports her. He also indicated that the chain is hopeful that the matter can be resolved via constructive dialogue.